"Must you go?" he whispered huskily.

The young waterbender looked up at her captor – no, her savior. This man had forever changed the way she saw the world, had forever changed her. A few weeks ago, she would have never believed that she could care about another person this way, much less a firebender.

Much less this firebender, the one who had pursued them for so long, had tried so many times to drag Aang away in chains. She knew now that he was only misguided, not evil, despite what they had believed for so long.

"Yes," she whispered sadly, looking out at the water. "I'm so sorry, my love. But I have to continue to help the Avatar."

He nodded, then threw his arms around her. "I never thought I could love a mere water tribe peasant," he murmured into her hair, "but I think now I've been waiting for you my entire life."

"Come with us," she said desperately, pulling back. She stared through his expressive amber eyes to the pain that they concealed within. "Give up this whole quest of yours. There are more important things than honor and glory, you know."

He smiled bitterly. "Not to a member of the Fire Nation. I cannot. Someone of my position cannot simply run away as the whim occurs. There are people who will need me to lead them. I'll let you go, and I can ensure that you can get away safely, but that is all that I can do."

"But – "

"Ah," he said, his voice flat, "And here is our young Avatar at last."

All of her protests, But I can't live without you, and But how will I go on knowing that you are out there somewhere and I am not with you? died inside her.

She looked up at the rapidly approaching bison, then suddenly threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a brief but passionate kiss, on that expressed all their love, their devotion, their sadness at being parted after only a few precious weeks together. That kiss was a promise, too: a promise to meet again, to find each other once more no matter the cost, in this world or the next. A promise to never be parted in spirit.

Appa landed hard, rocking the metal ship worryingly. Aang was off his back, staff at the ready, before the sky bison even had all six feet on the deck.

"Let her go!" he snarled.

The firebender quickly broke away from her, gently pushing her forward when she tried to hold onto him.

"I love you," he whispered.

"Me too," she answered brokenly, "Always and forever."

Then the Avatar grabbed her hand and pulled them both onto Appa's back.

She looked sadly down at the tiny figure on the ever-shrinking ship below as they flew out of sight, one hand pressed to her mouth where the feel of his firey kiss remained.

"Did he hurt you?" her brother demanded sharply.

"No," she said softly. Not unless you count a broken heart…

Katara spared one last glimpse down at the water below, then a cloud forever blocked the ship from sight. Her heart gave a wrench as she lost sight of him. Goodbye, Admiral Zhou, she thought sadly, my love, my only.

A/N: No, I don't actually ship them. That's even more disturbing a thoght than the one of Zuko falling in love with Katara because she's chained up in his basement. (Ducks flaming projectiles thrown by Zutara fans.)